Francois Roose

Francois Roose (died 14 September 1961) was a Belgian businessman who ran a mining company in the Belgian Congo. During the Congo Crisis, he paid the salaries of Roger Faulques' 1,000 former French Foreign Legion troops, who were hired as mercenaries by Katanga. Roose and Moise Tshombe were both present at Patrice Lumumba's execution by a firing squad in a dimly-lit barn in Katanga, and Roose would continue to assist Tshombe and his mercenaries so that he could protect his commercial interests. During the Siege of Jadotville, Roose gave orders to the mercenaries, and ONUC commandant Pat Quinlan had sniper Billy Ready shoot Roose above the heart. Ready successfully fired a single bullet round from the rooftop of a building to Roose as he stood next to a distant schoolhouse, and Roose was killed instantly. His death was felt by the mercenaries, who withdrew after he was shot.